Karnataka man arrested by Ponda police in child marriage case

Ponda: A 28-year-old native of Haveri, Karnataka, was arrested by Ponda police on Sunday for allegedly marrying an underage girl from Karwar and sexually assaulting her.

Police said the man married the girl this April in a private ceremony at the girl’s maternal uncle’s home at Usgao.

However, after the marriage, the girl realised that the man was already married. She subsequently left him and returned to Karwar, where, with the help on an anganwadi teacher, she filed a case against him. A court transferred the case to the Ponda police as the marriage was held at Usgao. After registering a case against the man under the Child Marriage Act, 2006 about 1.5 months ago, the Ponda police began tracking him. He was traced on Sunday and nabbed from Chimbel.

During investigation, police found that the accused had also sexually assaulted the girl after the marriage. Provisions of the Pocso Act, 2013, were added, and the man was subsequently remanded in four days police custody by the Ponda JMFC. Three other men and one woman, all natives of Karnataka, who were involved in the illegal marriage were also nabbed.